p23 air dec12 9/12/08 15:43 Page 23
ttglive.com
air news
The Future of Air Transport Emirates is the biggest buyer of the A380 – and the airline
The Future of Air Transport conference,
says it is proving popular, particularly with premium flyers.
organised by the Institute of Economic
Tim McAtackney reports from Dubai
Affairs and Marketforce, was held last week
at the Radisson SAS Portman in London
NO-FRILLS.
Ryanair’s plans to
dominate Europe
RYANAIR is basing its plans for long-term growth
on routes within continental European countries,
which could develop into a feeder network for a
Superjumbo sparks
transatlantic service.
Financial director Neil Sorahan claimed the
airline would carry 87-100 million passengers
in 2012, and 200 million in 10 years’ time, with a
growing proportion within mainland Europe.
Emirates sales boom
He said Ryanair was well placed to grow in
Italy when Alitalia scaled back its operations, and EMIRATES has said that more than 90% of the two weeks for it” when seats were not available.
in Spain if Air Berlin were to collapse. seats on its new A380 London-Dubai route are Emirates has ordered 58 A380s from Airbus,
“We now have 31 bases in Europe which could sold for December and January. almost three times as many as the next biggest
be a feeder network into the US,” he said. From January 1, a second A380 will be added purchaser, Qantas.
Ryanair has said it wants to run a transatlantic to the route to cope with demand. A new concourse under construction at the
service, but only when it can buy a long-haul The high level of bookings was well above the airline’s Terminal 3 base in Dubai will have
aircraft sufficiently cheaply. airline’s average of just over 80%, said Emirates 18 gates for A380s, complementing the five at
Sorahan added that Ryanair’s model would president Tim Clark. the existing Emirates concourse.
not be threatened when aviation entered the He added that the aircraft’s spacious interior Emirates is the second airline to operate
European emissions trading scheme because its and features such as a bar and showers in first A380s at Heathrow, after Singapore Airlines
price differentiation against full service carriers class were attracting passengers. These included began flying them from the airport in March.
would stay the same. premium customers who, he claimed, liked the Qantas is to start an A380 Heathrow-
upper deck bar so much “they were willing to wait Sydney service via Singapore on January 17.
SURCHARGES.
Price cuts needed
First Person
to boost business
Privacy and peace: onboard the A380
A FEW people demand luxury when they fly, but from having to regularly hassle the crew for
AIRLINES will drop prices next year to stimulate everyone else settles for just being comfortable. refreshment. Each seat is in a self-contained
demand and will have to make more realistic cuts The Emirates A380, however, caters to the fussy unit, so I could lie down without worrying about
to fuel surcharges, say airline bosses. and the frugal, writes Tim McAtackney (pictured). the guy behind me staring at the top of my head.
Emirates executive Keith Longstaff said the The first-class suites are bigger than some The bar at the back of the top deck was well
airline would “buy business” through price bedsits and the electric blinds allow you to stocked, the sofas were comfortable and there
promotions to combat falling demand. imagine you have the superjumbo to yourself. were always several people hanging around.
He said the promotions would help tackle the There’s a wood-panelled bathroom with The lack of noise on the aircraft was
trend of corporations switching travel policies plenty of floor space and a shower – your impressive; my outbound Boeing 777 to
from first to business and business to economy. first-class ticket buys you five minutes Dubai was deafening by comparison.
Aer Lingus chief executive Dermot Mannion under the shower. There’s an LCD TV Emirates pilots resting in the back of the
claimed there was evidence that the market will screen so you can watch the external A380 have actually complained about the
respond to price cuts. camera views as you lather up. lack of noise because they are now kept
Aviation analyst Andrew Lobbenberg said Business class is less extraordinary but awake by crying babies and loud-mouth
that airlines will have to make big cuts to the lie-flat seat was quite comfortable adults, which were previously drowned out
fuel surcharges, rather than “doing everything and the small minibar saved me by the engine noise.
possible to keep them in place”.
12.12.2008 23
Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56